Document details

Homebodies: Performance and Intimacy in the Age of New Media

Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press (2026), xiv, 244 pp.

Contains 17 illustrations, bibliogr. pp. 225-234, index

ISBN 978-0-472-90545-4 (ebook), 978-0-472-05784-9 (pbk)

CC BY-NC

"Homebodies: Performance and Intimacy in the Age of New Media sheds light on a fascinating yet often overlooked phenomenon: how ordinary people transform their private lives into captivating performances for the digital stage. Focusing on home dance videos shared on Instagram from 2010 to 2020, the book explores the delicate art of "intimaesthetics" - the aestheticization of intimacy through the interplay of body, space, and media and the paradox of the homebody. These seemingly spontaneous performances reveal how users craft images of closeness and authenticity, drawing audiences into a curated version of their domestic lives. Yet, Porter argues, these intimate portrayals exist within a larger system of platform control, algorithmic surveillance, and the commodification of personal expression." (Publisher description)